Insulator for electrical wire conductors



Aug. 26, 1 947. MlNARiK 2,426,466

INSULA'I'OR FOR ELECTRICAL WIRE CONDUGTORS Filed Dec. 7, 1943 a 7 A H55.

1. F'IEE- FIEL'Z ,i iii E3 F'IE.15. H515; 4 .6 f" 6 FIE--15. H549- Mame;

Patented Aug. 26, 1947 INSULATOR FOR ELECTRICAL WIRE CONDUCTORS RudolphA. Minarik, Va of one-half to Ralph E.

ndergrift, Pa., assignor Meech, Pittsburgh, Pa.

Application December 7, 1943, Serial No. 513,214

Claims. 1

This invention relates to insulators for electrical wire conductors, andparticularly to an improved insulator of the knob type which isespecially adaptable for use for supporting the conductor of electricalwire fences,

In the installation of electrically charged wire fences, an insulator ofthe knob type is generally used. Such an insulator consisted usually ofa cylindrical body member having a groove arranged in the peripherythereof adjacent one end of the insulator in which the conductor orbarbed wire was positioned which was held therein by means of a tie-wirewrapped around the insulator. Such an insulator was unsatisfactory notonly in that an extra piece of wire or tie-wire was needed to attach theconductor to the insulator, but such an insulator did not properlysupport the conductor and the same tended to sag between the insulatoror points of support.

Various other types of insulator have been heretofore suggested and usedbut these too were not altogether satisfactory. Such insulators eitherconsisted of an excessive number of parts which were relativelyexpensive to fabricate or were difficult to assemble and attach to thesupport or fencing element Without the use of special tools,

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide animproved electrical insulator for wire conductors which is simple andinexpensive in its construction and use wherein the above mentioneddisadvantages are eliminated.

I1; is another object of the invention to provide an improved electricalinsulator consisting of a minimum number of parts which can be easilyfabricated whereby the insulator can be conveniently and quicklyassembled and attached to the fencing element or support with which itis adapted to be used.

It is a more specific object of this invention to provide an insulatorwhich grips firmly the wire conductor so as to prevent any longitudinalmovement of the Wire relative to the insulator wh reby any saggingcharacteristics of the wire conductor are eliminated.

Various other objects and advantages of this invention will be moreapparent in the course of the following specification and will beparticularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings, there is shown, for the purpose ofillustration, several embodiinents which my invention may assume inpracice.

In these drawings:

insulator is adapted to be Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view throughthe improved insulator of my invention;

Figure 2 is an elevational view of the inner side thereof with theinsert member removed;

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken on line III- III of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken on line IV IV of Figure 3;

Figures 5, 6 and 7 are side. end and plan views, respectively, showingdetails of the preferred type of insert member to be used with myimproved insulator;

Figures 8 and 9 are side and end elevational views, respectively, of amodified form of insulator body in accordance with my invention;

Figures 10, 11 and 12 are side, end and plan views, respectively,showing details of the insert member to be used with the modificationshown in Figures 8 and 9;

Figure 13 is a side elevational view partly in section of anothermodified form of insulator body member of my invention;

Figure 14 is a side view of Figure 13;

Figures 15, 16 and 17 are end, plan and side views, respectively, of theinsert member to be used with the modification shown in Figures 13 and14;

Figures 18 and 19 are side and end elevational views, respectively, of afurther modified type of insulator body of the present invention; and

Figures 20 and 21 are end and plan views, respectively, of the insertmember to be used with the modification shown in Figures 18 and 19.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, the preferred embodiment ofmy improved insulator, as shown in Figures 1 through 7 of the drawings,comprises a body member 2 having an open ended slot or a transversechannel opening 3 arranged on the inner side thereof which extends intothe body member to substantially the center thereof. The body member 2,as shown, is rectangular-shaped, but it will be understood that it maybe cylindrical or any other desired shape. To either side of the opening3, there is arranged in and through the body member, a hole 4 throughwhich a bolt, nail, screw, or any other suitable attaching means isadapted to be inserted for attaching the same to the sup port, such as afence post P, with which the used.

There is arranged in the opening 3 of the body member, an insert member5 which is preferably wedge-shaped as is the opening 3 in which it ispositioned. The preferred type of insert member, a shown more clearly inFigures 5, 6

and 7, is preferably double wedge-shaped or substantially diamond-shapedin cross section. In any event, the sides of the insert member should beirregular shaped or non-planar and, likewise, the side walls of theopening 3, which cooperate therewith, necessarily have to be similarshaped whereby any transverse movement or displacement of the insertmember in the opening .3 relative to the body member 2 is prevented. Theinner end of the insert member is preferably concave shaped orsemi-circular, as at 6, so as to conform to the diameter of theconductor wire W with which it is adapted to be used. In other words,the inner end of the insert member is shaped to receive a part of thediameter of the conductor wire.

Both the side of the body member 2 and the outer end of the insertmember 5, which are adapted to be disposed directly next to the sup=port or post P, are preferably concave shape, as at I, so that the bodymember together with the insert member will be seated firmly against thesupport when the insulator is attached thereto. The body member 2 andthe insert member 5 are made preferably of any suitable insulatormaterial, such as glass, porcelain, phenolic condensation products andthe like.

The insulator of my invention is assembled in place on the support orpost P with which it is adapted to be used in the following manner. Theconductor wire W is placed in the transverse opening 3 of the bodymember so as to be positioned next to the inner end of the openingsubstantially centrally of the body member. The insert member 5 is thenpositioned in the opening 3 so that the concave portion 6 on the innerend thereof cooperates with the side of the conductor wire W directlyOpposite therefrom. The insulator is then positioned on the support orpost P with which it is adapted to be used with the outer side of theinsert member abutting thereagainst, and suitable attaching means, suchas bolts or nails N, are inserted through the holes 4 and the insulatoris securely attached to the support. As the body member 2 is beingattached to the support or post by means of the bolts or nails, it willbe seen that the insert member 5 is forced continuously into the opening3 so that the conductor wire W is securely seated in the inner end ofthe opening 3 and firmly gripped between the same and the inner concaveend portion 6 of the insert member 5, with the inner end of the opening3 disposed around substantielly one side or part of the diameter of thewire, and the concave portion 6 of the insert member 5 disposed aroundthe opposite side or the other part of the diameter of the Wire. It willbe seen that the concave inner side I of both the body member and theinsert member are firmly seated against the support or post after theinsulator has been completely assembled thereon.

It will be understood that the irregular or nonplanar shaped sides ofthe insert member 5, which cooperate with correspondingly shaped sidesof the opening 3, prevent transverse movement or displacement of theinsert member from its assembled position in the opening, as in case theconductor wire W is subjected to longitudinal stresses.

In Figures 8 through 12 of the drawings, there is shown, a slightmodification of the preferred form of insulator of my invention. In thiscon.- struction, the insert member 5 instead of having a diamond-shapedcross section. has substantially an hour glass cross section with thesides of the opening 3 being correspondingly shaped so as to preventtransverse movement or displacement of the insert member from theopening in 6 the body member.

There is shown in Figure 13 through 1'7, another modified arrangement ofthe insert member of the insulator of my invention. The insert member 5in this construction is preferably wedge-shaped as before, but in orderto prevent transverse movement or displacement of this member in theopening 3 of the body member, there is arranged preferably centrally ofthe insert member on either side thereof at least one rib portion 9which cooperates with a similar shaped groove "I arranged in either sidewall of the opening 3 in the body member so as to provide substantiallya tongue and groove arrange- V ment.

In Figures 18 through 21, there is shown still another modified form ofinsulator of my invention. In this construction, the opposed side facesof the insert member 5 are preferably convexshaped, as at I2, with thesides of the opening 3 in the body member with which they cooperatesubstantially concave-shaped, as at l3, so as to prevent the insertmember from moving transversely or becoming displaced from the openingin the body member.

The insert member of these latter constructions, is positioned andassembled in the opening 3 of the body member, and the insulatorattached to the support or post in exactly the same mannor as beforedescribed for the preferred embodiment.

As a result of my invention, it will be seen that there is provided ainsulator which can be conveniently and quickly attached to the supportor post with which it is adapted to be used. At the same time, it willbe seen that my improved insulator consists of a minimum number of partswhich may be easily fabricated, without the need of expensive equipment.Finally, but not least, it will be seen that the improved insulator ofthe present invention firmly grips the wire conductor and securely andsafely holds the same in its assembled position on the support withwhich it is to be used.

While I have shown and described several specific embodiments of mvinvention, it will be understood that these embodiments are merely forthe purpose of illustration and description and that various other formsmay be devised within the scone of my invention, as defined in the apended claims.

I claim:

1. An insulator of the class described for attaching a wire conductor toa supporting member comprising a body member having a transverse channelopen ng arranged .on the inner side thereof which is a apted to bedisposed next to the supporting member, a removable insert member arrangd in said opening with the conductor adapted to be posit oned in saidopening between the inner side of the same and the inner side of sa dinsert member, said insert member being constructed and arranged so thatit can be inserted into said opening only from the inner side of saidbody member. means carried by said in sert member which cooperates withmeans arranged on the side walls of said opening to prevent movement ofsaid insert member in either direction along saidopening, and meansarranged in said body member for attaching the same to the supportingmember, the inner side of said insert member adapted to abut thesupporting member and adapted to be forced into the opening intoengagement with the conductor thereby when said body member is attachedto the supporting member so that the conductor is gripped firmly betweensaid insert member and said body member.

An insulator of the class described for attaching a wire conductor to asupporting member, as defined in claim 1, wherein the means carried bythe insert member which cooperates with means arranged on the side wallsof the opening in the body member to prevent movement of the insertmember along said opening relative to the body member consists ofnonplanar surfaces arranged on either side of the insert member whichcooperates with similar non-planar side walls of the opening.

3. An insulator of the class described for attaching a, wire conductorto a supporting member, as defined in claim 1, wherein the means carriedby the insert member which cooperates with means arranged on the sidewalls of the opening in the body member to prevent movement of theinsert member along said opening relative to the body member consists ofat least one rib portion arranged on either side of the insert membercentrally thereof and extending longitudinally of the same whichcooperates with a groove arranged in the side walls of the opening so asto provide a tongue and groove arrangement.

4. An insulator of the class described for attaching a wire conductor toa supporting member comprising a body member having a transverse channelopening arranged on the inner side thereof which is adapted to bedisposed next to the supporting member, a removable insert memberarranged in said opening with the conductor adapted to be positioned insaid opening between the inner side of the same and the inner side ofsaid insert member, said insert member being substantially hourg ass incross section so as to provide irregular shaped sides which cooperate wth similar shaped side walls of the opening whereb movement of saidinsert memb r a on said opening is prevented. and means arranged in saidbodv member for attaching the same to the supporting member, the innerside of said insert member a apted in abut the supporting memb r andadapted tn be forced n o the onenin into en ag ment with th co duc rtherebv wh n said b v mem er i at ach d in th sunnnr no mpv bor on thattho pnndnntnw iq m inn ri firml" between said insert member and saidbody m mber.

5. An ins tor o he c ass desc b d for at, i-anhinq a wire co duct/vtn asup t ng T mber c m r s n a b dv memb having a tr nsv r cha n l o en nar an ed on t inn r si e th reof wh ch is adapted to be i s n xt to thesu o in men'h r. a remo l s r mber ar ang d in cniri nrw'ning wi h thocm'nfln foada t d to b oned in said p ning b ween the inner side of hesame and th inner side of sa d in ert member sai insert m mb be ngsubstantialv d amond shaped in c oss sec ion so as to provide irre ularshaped sides which c0- operate with similar shaped side walls of theopening whereby movement of said insert member along said opening isprevented. and means arranged in said bo y member for attaching the sameto the supporting member. the inner side of said insert member adaptedto abut the supporting member and adapted to be forced into 6 theopening into engagement with the conductor thereby when said body memberis attached to the supporting member so that the conductor is grippedfirmly between said insert member and said body member.

6. An insulator of the class described for attaching a wire conductor toa supporting member comprising a body member having a transverse channelopening arranged on the inner side thereof which is adapted to bedisposed next to the supporting member centrally of the same, aremovable insert member arranged in said opening with the conductoradapted to be positioned in said opening between the inner side of thesame and the inner side of said insert member, said insert member beingconstructed and arranged so that it can be inserted into said openingonly from the inner side of said body member, means carried by saidinsert member which cooperates with means arranged on the side walls ofsaid opening to prevent movement of said insert member in eitherdirection along said opening, said body member having a hole arrangedtherethrough on either side of said transverse opening through which abolt or the like is adapted to be inserted for attaching the same to thesupporting member, the inner side of said insert member adapted to abutthe supporting member and adapted to be forced into the opening intoengagement with the conductor thereby when said body member is attachedto the supporting member so that the conductor is gripped firmly betweensaid insert member and said body member after said member is securelyattached to the support.

'7. An insulator of the class described for attaching a wire conductorto a supporting member as defined in claim 6, wherein the sides of boththe body member and insert member adapted to be disposed next to thesupport is concave so as to seat properly and firmly on the supportingmember.

8. An insulator of the class described for att ch n a conductor to a suportin member comprising a body member having a transverse cha el ar aned in that side the eof ada ted to be disposed next to the supportingmember. means arranged in said channel and inserted thereinto from theinner side of sa d body memh r and wh ch is ada ed to coonerate withsaid b dv member to ho d. the conductor securely t n. m ans p eventi gmo em t of s id first wn' nned m an in e ther dir ct on alon sa d c a elan me ns for att h n sa d b v momhor in "hp s po in m m i'. Fair-Ifirst! n ntinnnfl moan: ad-av ta f, ghni' +11: ennnrwH- Tnnmho onrl orints"! fn ho fn 'rv i iniin pnrrqoprah" wi h 1410 onnfinni' v- Hqnrahvvwhen Fha hay-1v mm-nh r i a arghprl there-+ gm H1131, fhp cnndnctny isgrinned mly between said means and, sa d bo v m mber.

9 A 11l"9"fl" n7 flan 19w: fln nv-ilqad qf' fanhiflcr a nnndnr'tnr tn 9,,eHnv-v-unn m m r nm isi g a b dv member having an n anjno; rv-anaedtherein in which the, cnndmtnr is gr nni' ri to h d e 9n insm-t r m l'mr-nrwh t nn d in said openin fr m he inn r s de of sa d bodv m mber andcoop rating with th o enin in said body member tn ho d the conductorseonrelv i position therein and against movement relative theretb.coonerable means carried by said body member and said insert memberreventin movement of said insert member relative to said body member ineither direction along said opening, and means for attaching said bodymemher. to the supporting member, said insert member adapted to abut thesupporting member and to be forced into said opening into engagementwith the conductor therein when the body member is attached to thesupporting member so that the conductor is gripped firmly between saidinsert member and said body member.

10. An insulator of the class described for attaching a. conductor to asupporting member comprising a body member having a central transversechannel arranged in that side thereof adapted to be disposed next to thesupporting member, a wedge-like insert member positioned in said channelfrom the inner side of said body member and which is adapted tocooperate with said body member to hold the conductor securely therein,cooperable means carried by said body member and said insert memberpreventing movement of said insert member relative to said body memberin either direction along said channel, and means arranged to each sideof said channel and said insert member for attaching said body member tothe supporting member, the side walls of said channel being taperedinwardly and cooperating with the side walls of said insert member whenthe same is positioned in said channel, said insert member adapted toabut the supporting member and adapted to be forced wedgingly into thechannel into engagement with the conductor therein when said body memberis attached to the supporting member so that the conductor is grippedfirmly between said insert member and said body member.

RUDOLPH A. MINARIK.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 818,186 Murdock Apr. 17, 19061,509,645 Foss Sept. 23, 1924 945,350 Tinsiey Jan. 4, 1910 1,176,801Williams Mar. 28, 1916 230,290 Lilly July 20, 1880 1,232,354 Mair July3; 1917

